maureen mack, ph.d. curriculum & instruction university of wisconsin – eau claire

Maureen Mack, Ph.D.

Curriculum & Instruction

University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire

& the& theCider House Cider House

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Attachment Attachment TheoryTheory

Overview

Definitions of Secure/Insecure Attachment

Types of Disordered Attachment

Effects of Attachment Quality & Trauma

on the Developing Brain

Treatment and Strategies

Definition of Secure Attachment

Secure attachment is an enduring affective bond characterized by a tendency to seek and maintain proximity to a specific person, particularly when under stress.

– Ainsworth and Bowlby

Characteristics of Secure Attachment

Deep, long lasting, emotional

attachment

Influences mind, body, emotions,

relationships, and values (Levy)

Positive affect on self-esteem,

independence, enduring relationships,

empathy, compassion, and resiliency

Critical Aspect of Attachment

Emotional Sensitivity—appropriate parental emotional expression and reception. EA qualities can be observed in parents of children of any age.

Secure Attachment

Instinctual urge to attach rooted in evolution

Secure Attachment = Parents + Child

Definition of Attachment Disorder

Attachment disorder is the inability to form loving, lasting intimate relationships

Characteristics of Attachment Disorder

Lack of reciprocal behavior

Rights violations

Frequent aggressive and

destructive acts

Lack of remorse

Examples of Secure-Insecure Attachment

Homer

View Movie Clip from website (9,507 kb .wmv)

Examples of Secure-Insecure Attachment

Bedtime at the

OrphanageView Movie Clip from website (4,131 kb .wmv)

Small Group Exercise 1

Overview

Definitions of Secure/Insecure Attachment

Types of Disordered Attachment

Effects of Attachment Quality & Trauma on the Developing Brain

Treatment and Strategies

Types of Insecure Attachment

Ambivalent

Avoidant

Disorganized

Ambivalent

• Cling, withdraw in unfamiliar environment

• Separation anxiety• Rejects efforts to

comfort, sooth

Avoidant

• Pseudo independence and self-sufficiency

• Rejects or avoids comforting

• Unaffected by close,intimate contacts

• Most serious form• No consistent strategy

for comfort-seeking• Depression,

motor-freezing, anddisassociation

Disorganized

Insecure Attachment Continuum

SevereSevereMildMild

Common Causes of Disorder Attachment

Abuse

Neglect

Addiction

Multiple out of home placements

Parental death/loss

SevereSevereMildMild

Hard Being An Orphan

View Movie Clip from website (5,530 kb .wmv)

Characteristics

Behavioral Emotional

Characteristics

Thought Relational

Characteristics

Physical Moral/Spiritual

Small Group Exercise 2

Overview

Definitions of Secure/Insecure Attachment

Types of Disordered Attachment

Effects of Attachment Quality & Trauma on the Developing Brain

Treatment and Strategies

Brain Development

AlteredNormal

Brain Development

Altered

Normal

Fetal—first 2 years—most rapid growth; quality of caretaking impacts brain

Alarm Reactions

Alter chemical wiring

Traumatized infants/children

Neurobehavioral problems

Attachment Disorder and ADHD

Bonding Breaks

Attachment Deficits

Symptoms of ADHD

Small Group Exercise 3

Homer Returns

View Movie Clip from website (19,304 kb .wmv)

Overview

Definitions of Secure/Insecure Attachment

Types of Disordered Attachment

Effects of Attachment Quality & Trauma on the Developing Brain

Treatment and Strategies

Treatment

Create attachment patternsSystemic approach to ward against triangulation

Holistic-integrative approachesRevisit, revise, revitalizeRelationship healing

Strategies for Developing

Secure AttachmentsReciprocal behaviors between child and adult Respectful eye contact, body language Respectful verbal language Calming, soothing, nurturing responses Claiming behaviors Physical proximity and touching Careful, deliberate listening Accepting limits - boundaries

Strategies for Developing

Secure AttachmentsClimate and Relational

Ease and spontaneity in words and movements

Comfort in compliments, affection, appreciation

Harmony in words and actionsPreserve harmony and dignity under stress

Strategies for Developing

Secure AttachmentsClassroom Environment/Structure

Rationality Realism Intuitiveness Creativity Admit and correct mistakes Benevolence and cooperativeness

Strategies for Developing

Secure AttachmentsSpecific Instruction and Intervention Approaches

Family Bereavement Program Character trait assessment through literature Integration of Search Institute External/Internal Asset Checklist into curriculum, lessons activities

Role model unit Share personal feelings and stories Create and maintain safe, non-judgmental instructional environment

Teacher Assistance Programs

Small Group Exercise 4

References Ainsworth, M. D. S., & Wittig, B. A. (1969). Attachment and the exploratory behavior of one year

olds in a strange situation. In B. M. Foss (Ed.), Determinants of infant behavior (Vol. 4, pp. 113-136). London: Metheun.

Gallup, G. H., Moore, D. W., & Schussel, R. (1995). Disciplining children in America: A Gallup Poll Report. Princeton, NJ: The Gallup Organization.

Irving, John. (1999). The Cider House Rules. Modern Library: ISBN: 0679603352 Lach, J. (1997). Facilitating developmental attachment: The road to emotional recover and

behavioral change in foster and adopted children. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson. Levy, Terry, M. (editor). (2000). Handbook of Attachment Interventions. San Diego: California. Lyons-Ruth, K., Alpern, L., & Repacholi, B. (1993). Disorganized infant attachment classification

and maternal psychosocial problems as predictors of hostile-aggressive behavior in the preschool classroom. Child Development, 64, 572-585.

 Main, M., & Solomon, J. (1990). Procedures for identifying infants as disorganized/disoriented during the Ainsworth Strange Situation. In M. Greenberg, D. Cicchetti, & E. M. Cummings (Eds.), Attachment in the preschool years: Theory, research, and intervention (pp. 121-160). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Perry, B. D., Pollard, R., Blakely, T., Baker, W., & Vigilante, D. (1995). Childhood trauma, the neurobiology of adaptation and “use-dependent” development of the brain: How “states” become “traits”. Infant Mental Health Journal, 16(4), 271-291.

Terr, L. A. (1991). Chihood traumas: An outline and overview. American Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 1-20.

The Cider House Rules. (1999). Miramax Films.

Questions

Thanks for Coming!

Maureen Mack, Ph.D.

mackmd@uwec.edu

University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire